Itebero

Itebero

“ee-TEY-beer-roh”; 15-year-old female
Rescued 2004

I

tebero was only about 1.5 years old when she was confiscated from poachers and was named after the village in eastern DRC where she was rescued. Itebero is very intelligent and is considered the smartest gorilla at GRACE by caregivers. She often solves problems, such as new food puzzles given for enrichment, before all the other gorillas. She uses tools such as branches to help her access food out of her reach. She even has used the advanced “hammer-and-anvil” technique of cracking palm nuts to get to the oil inside, a method previously thought to be restricted to chimpanzees who are known for their tool-using abilities. Itebero’s tool use even made headlines! Itebero was part of the group of six gorillas that arrived at GRACE in July 2011 (see video). She is a very peaceful group member and is middle-ranking among the females. She was a close friend of silverback Ntabwoba before he died in 2014 and experienced symptoms of depression after his death.